ILS Law College Fee Structure May Drop by 77% After SPPU Committee Review

Indian Law Society’s (ILS) Law College in Pune has witnessed a major development in the ongoing dispute over its fee structure after a committee of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) recommended a substantial reduction in several fee components charged to students.

The recommendation follows complaints raised by students regarding allegedly unauthorised fee collection by the college. According to the revised structure proposed for the academic year 2026-27, the “Other Activities Fees” component may be reduced from ₹36,460 to ₹4,340 per student. This would result in a significant decrease in the overall fee burden on students.

Several fee heads earlier charged by the college have reportedly been reduced to zero. These include debating fees, cultural activities fees, maintenance of equipment charges, research activity fees, games and recreation charges, and physical fitness or gymnasium-related fees.

Other components have also been sharply reduced. Moot court fees have reportedly been cut from ₹3,850 to ₹1,000. Charges for e-learning equipment, print resources, electronic resources, and legal aid activities have also seen major reductions under the proposed structure.

Based on the revised figures, the estimated annual fee may come down to around ₹9,515 compared to approximately ₹41,635 charged during the 2024-25 academic year. The proposed revision indicates a reduction of nearly 77% in the total fee structure.

The controversy started after an RTI response allegedly revealed that the college had collected around ₹29.64 crore over five years under fee heads that were not approved by the university. It was also alleged that only a portion of the collected amount had been utilised for student welfare activities.

Following this, student Mayur Suhas Garud and NSUI leader Krushnakant Sathe initiated legal proceedings and filed complaints before authorities. Garud later approached the Bombay High Court, claiming that over ₹1 lakh had been collected from him across multiple academic years under unauthorised fee heads.

Earlier this year, the State government informed the High Court that it would reconsider the matter and issue a fresh administrative order after providing the college with an opportunity of hearing. The earlier refund directions issued to the college were subsequently recalled for reconsideration.

The latest recommendation by the SPPU committee was presented publicly by Vidhivat Legal Consortium, the law firm representing the student petitioner. The firm stated that the revision was a significant outcome of the litigation initiated against the alleged fee irregularities.

The consortium also pointed out that despite the proposed revision appearing in official university records, students had allegedly not yet been informed by the college regarding the revised fee structure for the upcoming academic session.

When approached for a response, ILS Law College Principal Deepa Paturkar reportedly declined to comment, stating that the issue remains sub judice.